The Business Growth Blog by Rob Cuesta

When strengths become weaknesses, and vice versa

I gave a client a coffee the other day. I know she takes sugar, so I had put some in already. However she didn't realise this, so she added some more. The first I knew about this simple mistake was when she grimaced and put the cup down rather hurriedly. You see, even though we may like something in small amounts, it can be unpleasant when it's overdone. And that's a valuable lesson to learn in personal branding.

Your hidden brand collateral

Cities can be brands. Paris is the city of Romance. Rome, the Eternal City. Milan, the powerhouse of Italian fashion. London, financial and fashion centre of Europe.

I've been spending a few days over the other side of the Atlantic, in Toronto. Toronto is a strange city. If you Google it, you'll find that it seems to be known primarily for being 'Big'. Montreal is known for comedy, Quebec for its 'frenchness', Vancouver for its climate and landscape, as well as the growing biotech, film and IT industry there. But Toronto seems to lack a brand of its own - about the strongest reference I could find to it online was that it is 'Canada's biggest city' (according to Wikipedia).

When clutter becomes junk

OK, confession time. I'm going to let you in on a secret. One that I'm actually rather ashamed of.

I walked into my study last weekend. Well actually, I didn't so much walk in as step gingerly in, around and over various piles of accumulated junk. I've been working out of town a fair amount lately, and I started renting an office in the centre of town, so my home office hasn't been used as much as it used to. But now it's got to the stage where I can't use it, and something has to give.